When a firearm is fired, the burning of the powder charge in the metal shell casing provides the pressure force to accelerate the bullet through the barrel. From there, the bullet's kinetic energy speeds it on toward its target. The burning of the charge generates gaseous by-products that not only accelerate the bullet but also carry small particles of unburned powder and metal from the shell casing/bullet. These follow the bullet down the barrel and out the muzzle where, no longer confined, they disperse quickly.
The sound of the firing of the round and the flash of still-burning power at the muzzle give away the information that a firearm has been fired and where that firearm is located. Conversely, reducing the sound and suppressing the flash would help to deaden the sound of the firearm and to conceal the marksman's location.
Most sound suppressors are cylindrical chambers that attach to the muzzle end of the firearm and provide a path for the bullet while restricting the gas. Their effectiveness in sound suppression is limited and they tend to heat up and foul with carbon and metal particles, limiting their useful life. They also add weight to a firearm and alter its ballistic characteristics.
Thus there remains a need for a flash and sound suppressor that mitigates one or more of these problems of the prior art suppressors.